Shock & Awe

Okay, maybe "shock & awe" and "nice shirt" aren't at opposite ends of the same scale. I think this one rates highly on both counts.

My attempt at an Evil Grin doesn't seem to look that evil, just dorky -- sorta like Chris's Fierce Look isn't all that fierce.

Oh well. At least my hair's combed.

And for those who are inclined to complain if there isn't an occasional cat picture, here's Webby supervising the recording of a float plane shirt.

CVB

Not long ago i started getting some aloha shirts from thrift stores, primarily to confuse and perplex my friends and family. Some of the shirts might qualify as "shock and awe," others (especially the one Eliza gave me for my birthday) are really rather nice, even subdued.

I think this one is maybe midrange on the "nice shirt" to "shock and awe" scale. But don't the aircraft carriers qualify it as somewhat of a weird shirt?

This picture was taken to test camera position and self-timer, and I had initially thought to go for a better shot -- hair dried & combed, evil grin on my face -- if it worked, but hey ...

The Brady Whetstone

I stopped by my parents today, and was shown this picture of the The Brady Whetstone, my grandfather's newspaper in Brady, Montana. I had never seen anything like it before, and borrowed the picture for copying. My grandfather, Joe Whetstone, is surely the gentleman second from the left. (Click on image for larger version.)

A story that I have been told many times, was that when the town applied for a post office, they were told that the existing name duplicated another post office already registered in Montana. So the leading businessmen of the town -- the storekeeper, the newspaper owner, and the saloonkeeper -- flipped coins, and the town was named for the winner, whose name was Brady (or O'Brady?).

If my grandfather had won the toss, the town would have been named Whetstone, and my middle name would surely not be Brady.

I have always taken some pride in being named after a one-eyed saloonkeeper of early Montana.

Interesting Brady links: schools, high school, blurb

Umtanum

Yesterday Chris & I took a daytrip to revisit Umtanum Creek, in the Yakima Canyon. We had passed a train at Easton, and just as we crossed under the tracks at Umtanum Creek, we heard it coming. Way cool.

Unlike last trip, we didn't see mammals. But we did see lots evidence of beaver activity, quite a few birds, including a nifty broad winged hawk on the cliff side. And the scenery in a completely different season was intriguing, even if the water level in the creek precluded crossing over, and thus curtailed our walk far short of our previous distance.

Chris enjoyed the swaying suspension footbridge over the Yakima River. Umtanum Creek comes down the side valley in the background, and our destination is somewhere back up well beyond what can be seen.

Instead of heading straight home afterward, we continued on downriver the to exit the south end of the canyon (in sunlight!), taking SR 24 east to the northern reaches of the Hanford reservation and across the Columbia at Vernon. From there, we followed the east side of the Columbia -- with a stop for wonderful burritos in Mattawa -- to Vantage, I-90, and home.

Long day, but good fun.

Chairman Meow

Actually Archie is generally quiet and not much for meowing at all.

Here he seems to be waiting for a motion from the floor.

Cat1 & Cat2

To pacify those who have been rumbling for more cat pictures: Webster and Archie veg out.

Bean Bag Bonkers

Yesterday Chris & I got maybe a little carried away burying each other in bean bags. There's a "Heavy Blanket" in there too. The result is a lot like a super Heavy Blanket.